The place for great and not-so-great nearly forgotten videos from the decade of Miami Vice, mullets, and acid wash jeans. All praise to the bands, YouTube, and the original posters of these videos.

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Ziggy Marley And The Melody Makers - Tomorrow People

David Nesta "Ziggy" Marley was reggae legend Bob Marley's eldest son, and he built a career in the industry after his father's untimely passing in 1981. Along with several siblings, he formed the Melody Makers in 1979 -- named after the British music trade rag, by the by.

The group released three independent albums in the 1980's and built enough of a fan base to get signed by Virgin Records. Their first major label release was 1988's Conscious Party, and it became a surprise hit. The album climbed to #23 on the charts, while "Tomorrow People" broke into the top 40 (barely) at #39. The sound was undoubtedly helped by the production team of Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth (both of Talking Heads fame), who helped find the pop side of the strong material.

The video for "Tomorrow People" is a well-crafted performance piece that seems to suit the song well. The upbeat clip with the reggae-pop sound even went into heavy rotation for a time at MTV.

While Ziggy's time as a pop star was brief, he remains a major figure in the reggae scene and has continued to record and perform to the present day.

Cool trivia fact: Ziggy Marley And The Melody Makers are a one hit wonder, as only "Tomorrow People" broke the top 40. However, that is one more top 40 hit than Bob Marley had.